An Unexpected Gift

End of March and beginning of April are the few weeks where Chinese pay their respect to their deceased family members. As usual, my side of the family, I only have one sister. So every year, she and I will planned a date to pay our respect to our late father and both grandmothers of both side, which were all buried at the same place. They were all cremated and put in urns and place in units space (like pigeon holes to me) in a pagoda. We were both free last weekend, so we went last Saturday.

As usual, hubby would send me and sons there. We all helped set up those offerings of food, fruits, drinks and a boxes of goodies, or should I say necessities that we need to burn in order to be send to them over the other side. As I and my sister were busy doing all these offerings, hubby went missing. By the time we were done, we went to our car and waited for him.

When he reach the car, I asked where he had went, he said to the office and bought a twin unit inside the new pagoda, a new building just completed next to the existing pagoda. I was speechless. This is something I was never prepared for. Rarely talks about stuffs like these too. Asked if it was for his parents for future used, he smiled and look at me and said, "No, it is for us". Before the conversation could go on, I have to go with my sister to my mom's place in her car as hubby need to go some where else and later at night they had made dinner reservation somewhere far, a new restaurant that they wanted to try out. Hubby joined us at dinner.

We reach home quite late that night and tired too after a whole day. All of us went to bed and I had almost forgotten about the special gift. Next morning, after breakfast, hubby took out the receipt and said "Looks like you will be stuck with me eternally, even after life, you will still have to stay next to me. Now where should I file these receipts?" Another speechless moment for me. A bit puzzled as I have some mix feelings inside me, one hand I was not that happy because I am only in my mid forties and he in his early fifties. On the other hand, those words he had just said, sounded quite sweet though. So in the end I just said "Thank you dear, I think you should filed it here" and passed a file to him.

I guess this was my most awkward moment ever in my life. Anyway, what was done was done, no point arguing or disagreeing. What ever will be will be. Hope that is not a birthday gift for me. My dear sister who went shopping for watches saw a perfect BFF watch and bought a pair, one for me and the other for herself. Both our birthdays falls on April. I have yet to get her a present. Hope hubby would surprise me with a real present. Not sure what got into him and I don't feel right to ask but he did mentioned that those units are selling like hot cakes, finishing fast and it is better to be buried near other relatives. Either some bug bit him or the salesmen there are damn good.

Thanks for reading. How many of you had already purchased a place / home for your, ahem, future?